WAMC but more school list help. (cGPA 3.82, sGPA 3.78, 523 MCAT)

[Trippanzee]

State/Country of Residence: California
Ties to other States/Regions: No
Race: White
Year in School: Senior
Undergraduate Major(s)/Minor(s): B.A Biology & BA in PH
School: UC Berkeley
Graduate Degrees (if applicable): N/A
Cumulative GPA: 3.82
Science GPA: 3.78
MCAT Score(s): 523 (130/131/130/132)
Research Experience:
-I have worked in an infectious disease lab for three years studying Listeria monocytogenes. I may be published in a paper that is coming out soon, but it's likely the paper will not be published before I apply for medical school .
Publications/Abstracts/Posters (include how you were credited e.g. first author, second author, etc.):
I will present my personal research in a poster session at my university.

Clinical Experience (paid or volunteer):
-I worked at a covid testing center administering oral covid tests to the local population. (Paid, ~300 hours)
-Volunteered for my university testing services as a “swab coach,” directing patients on how to administer self swabs. (volunteer,~30 hours )

Physician Shadowing:
-Currently none due to local hospitals having strict covid restrictions. I am hoping to change this in the months coming up to the application, but with the pandemic worsening in my area, I am not hopeful. (any advice here would be helpful)

Non-Clinical Volunteering:
-On and Off volunteering at local soup kitchens (10 hours)
-I have taught a student lead course about cancer in the modern-day at my university for three years. The largest class to date had 90 students. I discuss the underlying causes of cancer, the modern responses to it and also bring in expert speakers to address topics I am unable to cover. These guest speakers range from UCSF oncologists to people who have had significant personal experiences with cancer.

Other Extracurricular Activities:
- I love surfing, skiing, and backpacking.

Other Employment History:
-I worked for a biotech company during the pandemic that collected and tested samples of COVID-19 via rt-PCR. I worked in the lab aliquoting samples and helping to run them on the PCR machines. (~320 hours)

Immediate family members in medicine? (Y/N): Y, mother is a nurse
Specialty of Interest (if applicable): Emergency medicine, General surgery, and trauma surgery
Interest in Primary Care (Y/N): N
Interest in Rural Health (Y/N): Y
Medical School List: (really fluid rn)
-UCSF
-Stanford
-NorthWestern
-Columbia
-UCLA
-Michigan
-Yale
-UCSD
-Boston U
-UCI
-UC Davis
-Ucolorado


Additional information. I would like to attend a school that has either lots of nature (hopefully mountainous) or decent proximity to an ocean. Both if I can, but either or if I can't.

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[Faha]

You do need 50 hours of in person physician shadowing before you apply. Also 200+ hours of clinical volunteering where you are involved with patients who are actually ill, not just testing them for COVID. If you add these hours you could add these schools:
Washington University
Case Western
Cincinnati
Ohio State
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Cornell
NYU
Rochester
Pittsburgh
Duke
Vanderbilt
Boston University
Tufts
Brown

 

[Trippanzee]

You do need 50 hours of in person physician shadowing before you apply. Also 200+ hours of clinical volunteering where you are involved with patients who are actually ill, not just testing them for COVID. If you add these hours you could add these schools:
Washington University
Case Western
Cincinnati
Ohio State
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Cornell
NYU
Rochester
Pittsburgh
Duke
Vanderbilt
Boston University
Tufts
Brown

Thanks!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Your non-clinical community service hours (just 10 "off and on") makes your application DOA for many schools.

Why are you interested in rural health or primary care? How many experience hours have you had to give you insight?

 

[Trippanzee]

Your non-clinical community service hours (just 10 "off and on") makes your application DOA for many schools.

Why are you interested in rural health or primary care? How many experience hours have you had to give you insight?

Thanks, I needed to hear this. I will try to fill this gap in the months before my application, I haven't been super successful in finding some In the past due to the saturated college area. I think now, with more experience under my belt I should be able to get some.

Should I focus on gathering more volunteering or more clinical (scribing perhaps). Which would more effectively round out my application?o ans

To answer your question about my connection rural healthcare-- my family has very rural roots. I was born in a city, but I still have a lot of influence form the more rural sides of my family.

 

[candbgirl]

Thanks, I needed to hear this. I will try to fill this gap in the months before my application, I haven't been super successful in finding some In the past due to the saturated college area. I think now, with more experience under my belt I should be able to get some.

Should I focus on gathering more volunteering or more clinical (scribing perhaps). Which would more effectively round out my application?o ans

To answer your question about my connection rural healthcare-- my family has very rural roots. I was born in a city, but I still have a lot of influence form the more rural sides of my family.

It’s really not an either or with your ECs. You aren’t ready to apply quite yet. As @Faha said you need physician shadowing (50 hours) and 200 hours of clinical experiences. And as @Mr.Smile12 said you need nonclinical volunteering. You really want to put together the best possible application so you only have to do this once. Slow down and do it right. Fill in the gaps and then apply. Med Schools aren’t going anywhere.

 

[Trippanzee]

It’s really not an either or with your ECs. You aren’t ready to apply quite yet. As @Faha said you need physician shadowing (50 hours) and 200 hours of clinical experiences. And as @Mr.Smile12 said you need nonclinical volunteering. You really want to put together the best possible application so you only have to do this once. Slow down and do it right. Fill in the gaps and then apply. Med Schools aren’t going anywhere.

You're right, med schools aren't going anywhere, but my MCAT score has an expiration date. I've given some thought to just shooting my shot this cycle, but really preparing to become a good applicant the following cycle. Any more than that and my MCAT expires